Vikings receivers Rice and Harvin are candidates for receptions leader

The Minnesota Vikings witnessed young wide receivers rising up to be stars and leaders in pass catches. While third-year pro Sidney Rice led the team in receptions with 83 catches, rookie receiver Harvin was as impressive as the starter with 60 receptions. So, just as expected, both are qualified candidates for 2010 receptions leader.


The other candidates include receiver Bernard Berrian, running back Adrian Peterson and tight end Visanthe Shiancoe. All of them have great chances of becoming the leader, but Rice and Harvin obviously have more advantages.

With 60 catches in his first year of wearing Minnesota Vikings jersey, Harvin was named the 2009 AP Offensive Rookie of the Year. After showing his great hands and explosion during last season, he is on a solid ground to receive more playing time to narrow the gap between himself and Rice.

With excellent playing skills and flexible catch radius, Rice managed to become quarterback Brett Favre’s favorite target in 2009. So if Favre returns and Rice stays with the Vikings, the receiver is very likely to remain the receptions leader of the team. But if Rice was signed away by another team, the title will most likely to go to Harvin.

Vikings fans want Favre to stay

In order to persuade quarterback Brett Favre to stay with the Minnesota Vikings, a group of Vikings fans used advertising space on a digital billboard near Favre’s home to send message, hoping the 40-year-old quarterback could make his mind to continue wearing No. 4 Vikings jersey for another season.


“Hey No. 4, do Minnesota fans love you and want you back next year? You Brettcha!” the message reads.

The group of more than 122,000 people has also collected photos, videos and posted messages from the fans to mail to Favre, and the plan was made by Jay Tappe of Minneapolis one day after the Vikings lost the NFC championship game to the New Orleans Saints.

“We never really got to give Brett a good send-off or a standing ovation or anything, because they finished the season on the road,” Tappe said. “My thought was to put up a billboard that he sees every morning.”

The plan also includes raising fund through a website, vikesfans4favre.com and getting Vikings defensive end Jared Allen to record a video encouraging fans to join the cause. By so far, they have raised $2,600. It was enough to keep the billboard up for the month and the remaining money will be donated to the foundation of Favre’s wife to help disadvantaged women in their fight against breast cancer. And Allen is one of Favre’s biggest fans who welcomed the legendary quarterback to Vikings after Favre got out of retirement and signed with the Vikings.

Favre could have real retirement now

Leading the Minnesota Vikings to a 12-4 season but a regretful loss to the New Orleans Saints in NFC championship game, Brett Favre is now taking his time to decide what to do for next season. Remain in the No. 4 purple Vikings jersey? Or just keep his promise for the first time in his NFL career to have a real retirement? I think, the latter is a much better idea for the 40-year-old quarterback.


I don’t mean he is too old to play football anymore. At his age, his performance during 2009 season was amazing and impressive. And the Vikings do enter postseason thanks a lot to his help. But I just think it would be good for him to follow former Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner, who announced retirement last Friday at age 38 after 12 years of NFL career. Favre has been staying long enough in the NFL, and 18 years of NFL career has made his name well-known among each team’s fans, in good or bad sense. To be honest, every knows he is a great quarterback, and that’s why he should leave now, at the time people still believes he is a great player, but not at a time when people begin to say “well, what can we expect from a man at his 40s?” if he shows any tendency to drop behind those rising young stars.

For a better life and family happiness, Favre should take his time to rest well before doing anything a 40-year-old man fits to do. Mid-aged man should not expect to heal as fast as those 20s if he gets injured. And it’s time to give chance to those younger quarterbacks who have made every effort to get a starting job, like Tarvaris Jackson and Sage Rosenfels, who were supposed to compete for the spot, until Favre came after training camp in mid-August. Leave now before they acquire the job by performing better during regular season, and Favre, you will face much less embarrassment.

Vikings coach Childress will be careful with Favre status to avoid fine

After the NFL recently fined the New York Jets and coach Eric Mangini for failure to list Brett Favre on the injury report last season with his throwing arm hurt, the Minnesota Vikings coach Brad Childress felt that it is necessary for him to be diligent with Favre’s injury status to avoid fine.


By so far, Favre has not been listed on the injury report although the quarterback recently said that he might have a cracked rib. And it is not strange at all for media to focus on how Childress will approach the report each week when it comes to the 39-year-old quarterback.

Childress said that he’d rather save the $25,000 for college tuition for his kids. And he has told Favre that he would not hesitate to put the quarterback on injury report if necessary.

Packers QB Rodgers proved him good replacement of Favre

On Saturday night, the Green Bay Packers won another preseason game, and quarterback Aaron Rodgers gave another rhythmic playing as a starting quarterback and big music fan.

After Brett Favre left the Packers, Rodgers became the one replacing the star quarterback. Fortunately, he managed to meet a lot of people’s expectation. He led the Packers to victory in two preseason games.


“We’re doing some really good things. I think the key is it starts up front. I think the guys—in two games, I haven’t been sacked, really haven’t been touched—and it gives you a lot of confidence as a passer,” Rodgers said after Green Bay’s 31-21 victory over the Buffalo Bills on Saturday night.

Rodgers said he was watching HBO’s “Hard Knocks,” the behind-the-scenes look at Bengals’ training camp while Favre was having his debut with the Vikings on Friday. The next night he also managed to attract enough attention and praise by scoring early and often in the exhibition.